Dakota County Technical College is among the 12 Minnesota State Colleges and Universities campuses receiving money as part of a $15 million U.S. Department of Labor grant to help provide advanced manufacturing training. (File photo: Bill Klotz)

MnSCU training overhaul caters to manufacturers, workers

That was the message South Central College President Annette Parker delivered Wednesday at the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce Manufacturers’ Summit. She detailed a revamped advanced manufacturing training program effort she’s leading to make it easier for workers to get exactly the training they need and for employers to know what kind of workers they’re hiring.

“I think it’s incumbent on us, as educators, to show what the outcomes are, and I think over time all manufacturers in Minnesota will begin to understand what these certifications are,” said Parker, who oversaw similar efforts in Michigan and Kentucky before taking up her current post in North Mankato.

Parker’s speech came just two days after the U.S. Department of Labor announced a $15 million grant for the Minnesota Advanced Manufacturing Partnership to design advanced manufacturing training. The partnership includes 12 Minnesota State Colleges and Universities campuses working with nearly three dozen manufacturers, trade organizations and other groups.

Because of its newness, the exact connections between NIMS certification and job abilities aren’t yet clear, said Eric Lipke, vice president and general manager of Hutchinson-based Midwest Industrial Tool Grinding, one of the grant’s employer partners.

But he expects that to change as the program proliferates and companies gain more experience with certified employees. Eventually, manufacturers should be able to advance new hires beyond some in-house training based on their credentials.

“I like the concept a lot. I think it’s a great idea,” he said in an interview.

Even so, large and small companies differ in their opinions about the certification, said Bob Kill, president and CEO of Enterprise Minnesota, one of the organizations that supported the grant. Large companies value it because it creates a clear career path for workers to advance in the company. Small companies aren’t sure they’ll see as much benefit because they have fewer levels of advancement.

Unlike traditional schooling, the certification isn’t based on hours in a classroom — it’s based on competency. The instruction will prepare students to pass the certification tests, but students will be able to take the test as soon as they’re ready.

Parker acknowledged that could cause some faculty resistance but she thinks inviting them to be part of the process will win their support.

Finding qualified workers has been an ongoing problem for manufacturers. An Enterprise Minnesota report released in May found that 67 percent of manufacturers have a hard time attracting qualified candidates, the highest mark in the survey’s six-year history.

MnSCU schools have been reaching out to manufacturers for the past three years to have frank talks about what the schools can do to train more workers, Kill said. The new advanced manufacturing training should help those efforts take another step forward.

“This grant will go a long way in figuring out how to do what’s best with the least pain for the student,” he said in an interview.

South Central College started work on the changes before receiving the grant and would’ve been able to implement them without the money, but it would have taken longer and would not involve as many locations, Parker said. Consequently, it has committed to starting in January and expanding the program in the summer and fall 2015.

The other schools should be ready to start in fall 2015.

“We’re done celebrating. Now it’s time to dig in and do the work,” she said in an interview.